Having just finished his latest film,  Woody Allen is already in the process of casting his next one.  While we know nothing about that particular project’s title or plot, we do know that Emma Stone (The Amazing Spider-Man) is in talks to play a leading lady role.  While Allen’s schedule may be clear – except for press for Blue Jasmine, starring Cate Blanchett and Alec Baldwin and opening July 26th – Stone is filming both Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman and Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  She’s also been attached to the untitled Cameron Crowe project and Guillermo del Toro’s next picture, the Gothic horror story Crimson Peak.  The success of DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods will also presumably land Stone back in the recording studio so that she may lend her voice to the announced sequel.  Deadline reports that Allen’s next picture may now also be on her schedule.

At this point, it’s surprising when DreamWorks Animation doesn’t make a sequel out of one of its properties.  While the studio was decidedly more nervous than usual for the release of last month’s prehistoric pic The Croods following the commercial disappointment of Rise of the Guardians, audiences flocked to the cavepeople-centric animated film.  The Croods’ worldwide box office total now stands at over $385 million, and THR reports that DreamWorks Animation has officially greenlit a sequel.

Writers/directors Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders will return for The Croods 2, and the studio is currently in negotiations with certain key voice actors to return as well.  The first pic boasts a voice cast that includes Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage, and Ryan Reynolds, and we can reasonably expect a fair amount of the actors to come back.  Next on the DWA release docket is the snail racing pic Turbo this July, which also features the voice of Reynolds.

Yesterday, we got our first look at Jamie Foxx as a very blue Electro in Marc Webb‘s The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  Today, more set photos have surfaced to show the villain wearing a parka, and it could be part of the costume since the set photos also show co-stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in winter coats.  It’s also possible that he’s wearing it to cover up his costume to prevent it from being seen in leaked set photos such as these.

Hit the jump to check out the set photos.  The film also stars Dane DeHaan, Shailene Woodley, Paul Giamatti, Felicity Jones, Chris Cooper, and Sally Field.  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens in 3D on May 2, 2014.

Filming is underway on Alejandro González Iñárritu’s black comedy Birdman.  Fox Searchlight and New Regency announced today that principal photography has begun in New York City on Birdman, which centers on an actor who once played an iconic superhero, and now faces troubles with his ego and family as he prepares to mount a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim past glory.  Michael Keaton stars as the struggling actor, and he’s surrounded by a fantastic ensemble cast that includes Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Ryan, and Andrea Riseborough.

Iñárritu co-wrote the original script alongside Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo, and is also producing the film with John Lesher.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.

The nationwide expansion of Harmony Korine‘s Spring Breakers meant that I had the opportunity to catch the film last night at my local theater. We’ll talk a more specifically about our coverage of the film after the jump. For now, I’d like to make a futile attempt at encapsulating my feelings on the pic in the next few sentences. There’s a lot to like about Breakers whether it be the performances (James Franco‘s especially), the music, the slick editing and use of foreshadowing, etc. Nevertheless, for me this isn’t a movie that I “liked” as much as it’s one I respect. It’s beautiful, surreal, challenging, abhorrent, and vapid all at the same time. In other words, it’s art.

I could go on for days about the pic but that’s not why we’re here. In this week’s Top 5 we’ll take a look at our Breakers coverage, some Transformers 4 plot details, Olympus Has Fallen interviews with Gerard Butler and Antoine Fuqua just to name a few, a new trailer and poster for Star Trek Into Darkness, and The Croods interviews with Nicolas Cage and more. As is standard, a brief recap and link to each awaits after the jump.

“Crude” is a half-appropriate description of DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods.  The word couldn’t apply less to the gorgeous animation, which not only paints a broad, beautiful canvas for the setting, but also revels in meticulous detail.  But the film’s sense of humor and thinly-drawn characters are rarely worthy of their magnificent surroundings.  Although the film doesn’t resort to fart humor (which DreamWorks Animation has never been hesitant to employ), it’s mostly slapstick that renders the characters’ need to survive less than compelling when they can be tossed 80 feet in the air and land with nary a scratch.  The story may preach about looking to tomorrow, but the tired story and themes are rooted firmly in the past.

Opening this weekend is DreamWorks Animations’ The Croods. Directed by Kirk De Micco (Space Chimps) and Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon), The Croods centers on a prehistoric family embarking on the world’s first  road trip through an uncharted, fantastical and dangerous world.  The film features the voice talents of Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Nicolas Cage, Clark Duke, Catherine Keener and Cloris Leachman.  For more on The Croods, you can watch 8 clips here.

At the New York City press junket, I was able to speak with Ryan Reynolds and Emma Stone.  We talked about how the story and their characters changed during production, what surprised them both during the recording process, favorite video games, Reynolds Ted cameo, R.I.P.D., and I tried to get Stone to talk about The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  Hit the jump to watch.

The first pictures of Emma Stone and Shailene Woodley filming a scene together for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 have surfaced online. Stone portrayed Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker’s main love interest in the first The Amazing Spider-Man, and Woodley was recently added to play Parker’s iconic longtime love, Mary Jane Watson. While it has been said that Woodley’s role will not be as prominent in this film, if the film follows accurately with Spider-Man mythology, Woodley could become Parker’s romantic frontrunner in the planned third film. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 also stars Andrew Garfield, Sally Field, Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Dane DeHaan, Felicity Jones, and Paul Giamatti, with Marc Webb returning as director.

Hit the jump for some speculation about the possible Gwen-MJ dynamic as well as photos of Stone and Woodley on set.

We’ve got eight clips from DreamWorks Animations’ The Croods to share with you today. Directed by Kirk De Micco (Space Chimps) and Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon), The Croods centers on the titular prehistoric family embarking on the world’s first  road trip through an uncharted, fantastical and dangerous world.  Featuring the voice talents of Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Nicolas Cage, Clark Duke, Catherine Keener and Cloris Leachman, The Croods opens March 22nd.  Hit the jump to watch all eight clips.

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, Amores Perros) has assembled quite the cast for his upcoming comedy Birdman.  The film centers on an actor who once played an iconic superhero, and now faces troubles with his ego and family as he prepares to mount a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim past glory.  Though Iñárritu’s previous work veers on the heavy drama side of things, he’s nabbed some top-notch comedic talent to bring this lighter film to fruition as Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, and Zach Galifianakis have been enlisted to topline the pic.  Hit the jump for more.

New photos have leaked from the set of Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  This is the fourth batch of set photos to hit the Internet in less than a week, and I’m sure we can expect plenty more as the production continues its outdoor filming in the weeks and months ahead.  These new photos show Peter (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen (Emma Stone) strolling around Chinatown, and that’s about all you’re going to get from these images.  We’ll let you know if Gwen Stacy is spotted on top of a bridge.

Hit the jump to check out the set photos.  The film also stars Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Shaileen Woodley, Paul Giamatti, Felicity Jones, Chris Cooper, Sally Field, and Martin Sheen.  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens in 3D on May 2, 2014.

We have a round-up of new posters for you this morning.  Briefly:

• Snowpiercer – The first poster for the new film from Bong Joon-ho (Mother), which takes place on a train that never stops, as it makes its way through a futuristic world that is in the midst of an ice age.  The train is divided into classes, and the lower class is ready to revolt.  The film stars Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, and Ewen Bremner.  No release date has been announced.
• Olympus Has Fallen – Two new posters featuring the giant faces of Gerard Butler, who plays a disgraced Secret Service agent called back to duty when terrorists take over the White House, and Aaron Eckhart.  The film also stars Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, and Cole Hauser.  The film opens on March 22nd.
• The Croods – A couple of new posters for DreamWorks Animation’s caveman comedy, featuring the voices of Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage, and Ryan Reynolds.  The film opens in 3D on March 22nd.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.

Earlier today, we reported that Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 began production in New York.  Now, we have the full press release that reveals the first official synopsis and the principal cast.  We knew that Paul Giamatti was in talks to join the production and can confirm that now, but his role has yet to be specified.  Another new name that joins the sequel’s cast is Colm Feore (Thor), but his role is also unspecified (Norman Osborn?).  Hit the jump to check out the synopsis and read the press release.

There are so many big movie stars in Movie 43 that it’s borderline ridiculous, so a new featurette aims to clarify some things with a little game of “Six Degrees of Separation.”  You can check out 55 images from the movie here and see how Emma Stone, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Terrence Howard, Halle Berry, Jason Sudeikis, Gerard Butler, Kristen Bell, Chloe Moretz, Josh Duhamel, Johnny Knoxville, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Richard Gere, Anna Faris, Justin Long, Liev Schreiber, Uma Thurman, Seann William Scott, Kieran Culkin, Leslie Bibb, Jimmy Bennett, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Kate Bosworth, Patrick Warburton, Tony Shalhoub, Chris Pratt, Jack McBrayer, Aasif Mandvi and Bobby Cannavale are all connected after the jump.  Movie 43 opens January 25, 2013. 

We recently reported that Guillermo del Toro’s next directorial effort would be the haunted house picture, Crimson Peak.  Now, it looks as if the crimson-haired beauty Emma Stone may take on the leading role in the Legendary production.   Details on the project are slim, but del Toro did speak a bit about Crimson Peak in a recent video interview for his executive produced horror feature, Mama.  Variety reports that the deal is not yet official, but Stone is expected to star.  Stone, who appeared most recently in Gangster Squad, can next be heard in the animated DreamWorks picture, The Croods.  Stone is also expected to start filming The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for Sony later this year.